re: #81 Fozzie Bear

As an illustration, try to imagine a world in which it is a matter of trivial difficulty to provide for all the basic needs of humans. Imagine there were self-replicating machines that generated food, shelter, and security. (I.e., any world in which basic needs are trivialized by technology)

What would the function of an economy be in such a world?

Capitalism requires scarcity, and even generates it where there is none. It is also one of the most efficient ways to effectively manage scarcity.

It is more of a double edged sword than most people think it is, imo.